Cricket, as they say, is a batsman’s game. However, T20 is version of the game in which bowlers seldom have much say and so it is not a surprise that even the very best bowlers in the world get clobbered once in a while. That being said, there are certain bowlers who seem to go for a lot of runs irrespective of the opposition and the match situation, simply because they are no good in their duties. Let’s have a look at some of the worst bowlers who have played in the IPL over the years.

Chaminda Vaas

Vaas might have been the spearhead of the great Sri Lankan team of the 90s and noughties but the IPL is a tournament that does not respect reputations; which is why it is not a surprise that his lack of pace handicapped him greatly during the two seasons that he played. He was carted around the ground in almost every game that he played. In fact, in a game against the Delhi Daredevils in the second season he went for a massive 52 runs in his quota of 4 overs. He might have been an excellent bowler in the international level but in the IPL, he has fared miserably.

Ashok Dinda

The second slot belongs to Ashok Dinda, who has actually redefined the term ‘death bowler’ since when he bowls at the death it usually leads to the death of any chance that his team might have had of winning the game. He has fared horribly for the Pune Warriors; this year the Royal Challengers Bangalore bore the brunt of his inept bowling. However, he has improved on his economy rate of 9.48 in IPL VI to 8.70 this year.

Shaun Tait

Shaun Tait is the example of another high profile flop in the IPL. In the 3 seasons that he has played for the Rajasthan Royals he has been nothing short of a disaster. His express pace and frequently wayward bowling made him cannon fodder for batsmen who could use his pace to cart to the boundaries. An overall economy rate of 8.11 is certainly not something that a team would expect from any bowler and the fact that he is an overseas start makes it even more galling. It is not a surprise that he was not picked up by any team at the auctions in 2014.

Harshal Patel

The fact that Harshal Patel has only played in 15 games spread over 2 seasons is an indication of the sort of horrible performance that he has delivered with alarming regularity for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and his bowling figures of 0-56 in 3 overs in IPL 7 against the Kings XI Punjab is an example of why he is such a risk. He neither has the pace nor the associated skills that a bowler needs to survive in the IPL and a career economy rate of 8.71 testifies to that fact. He has surely been one of the worst performers so far but he has age on his side and hopefully he would be able to get his act together in the coming seasons.

Ryan McLaren

The South African all rounder had a horror IPL experience with the ball for the single season that he played for the Kings XI Punjab and then in the 2 seasons in which he turned up for the KKR. For the Kings XI he clocked an economy rate of nearly 8 and then for the KKR it shot up to 9.88 in 2011. However, in IPL VI he surpassed himself by going for 13.42 runs per over on an average. It is unlikely that McLaren would ever be seen in the IPL again.

Michael Neser

South African youngster Michael Neser played only one game in the IPL and that was enough to set the alarm bells ringing in the Kings XI Punjab team management as the bowler went for a jaw dropping 62 runs in 4 overs against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He might have still go on to performs in domestic cricket with distinction but as far as the IPL is concerned he will always be regarded as one of the worst bowlers that has ever been on show in the tournament.

Mashrafe Murtaza

He is not the worst bowler to play cricket but in the IPL he found himself out of his depth and was packed off after a solitary season for the KKR. He had pace and bounce but unfortunately his lack of variations made him one of the worst bowlers to ever play in the tournament. He cemented his place in this l;ist when he was clobbered by a Rohit Sharma for 26 runs in the last over that saw the Deccan Chargers complete an unlikely win.

Ashish Nehra

One time Indian opening bowler Ashish Nehra has also had a tough time of it in the IPL but surprisingly he is still a part of the tournament and is currently employed with the high profile Chennai Super Kings. He was not as poor when the tournament first started but over the years his pace has dropped and in the past three seasons he has conceded runs at the rate of 8.77, 9.46 and 7.90, which is appalling. His lowest point as a bowler must have been the clobbering he received at the hands of AB DeVilliers at Bangalore when the batsman hit him for 21 in the last over to win the game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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